Someone asked me this question about 2 months ago…Got me a little startled cause it was a casual farewell dinner for a friend. And out came this question from a good friend of mine. Holy Spirit led i am sure…Because it really got me thinking. I’m the kind of person you don’t simply ask a question like that and expect me to forget it…it’s been on my mind a lot lately. “What do I value most in life?”…At this point of my life, she meant…hmmmmmm…
Well, i’m sitting at Starbucks just before going in to work…pondering this question again, with a light soy Latte beside me and Frank Sinatra singing in the background…At that time, I said, my caregroup. Because my life centered around my work and the people in my caregroup. Work is ok but not the ideal place I love to be or what I really want to do…So the answer to this question at that time was the people in my caregroup…It’s been a year we have been through a lot so at that time, they were constantly at the back of my mind… Praying and hoping that they would be able to overcome the ‘hurdles’ (some very very BIG) in their life…But, at this point, I would say, my family…Being away from home for 8 years now, I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of moments at home…And I want to go out into the Mission field for a few years while I am young. So it would mean that I would not have the opportunity to stay with them and spend some everyday quality time together…just doing everyday things. Would I want to, say, stay with them when I am 30?! No! Or who knows, God promised that I would enter Tunisia with my life partner. So it means that once I go out there, there will be little chance of me moving in with my parents and living with them for a substantial period of time…to make up for all the years I have been away.
YET! (You guys all saw that coming, didn’t you?) Yet, I am not wanting to jump into this decision without having weighed everything and thought through and prayed through with God. Because I have a ‘family’ here in Melbourne whom I care about a lot as well; who have been in my life for the last decade (almost!)…And I have made previous commitments and promises that I fear I may not be able to fulfil if I decide to pack up and go home for a while…Decisions! Our life is always surrounding them. Because it is what determines the path we take and the place in life we eventually end up in…But, in all things, we know that “God works for the good of those who love Him…” (Romans 8:28). I’ve been clinging on to this promise again and again in the last couple of months…Like Joseph. His ‘bragging’ ended him in a jeopardy that seemed impossible to get out of. It didn’t get better but only worse…till he was thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit. But eventually, he got where God wanted him to be…and it happened so miraculously that we can only marvel at the perfect plan of God as he himself came to a realisation that he is exactly where God has showed him he will be in the early years of his life…but the journey couldn’t have been something that he expected in a million years…But it is that very journey (not any other) that brought him into the place of becoming the right hand man of Pharoah and being used to save many lives in those seasons of great drought…It all began in Genesis 37. And culminated in a great climax in Genesis 45 when he revealed himself to his brothers…And he acknowledged the sovereignty of God as he realised and saw how the Hand of God moved in His life…”So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.” (Genesis 45:8).
Now back to the question above…Why is this question so important for all of us to answer. Because “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21)…And we know how much our heart (ie. our values, our thoughts that are influenced by how we feel about something…) influences what we do with our life and how we make decisions…Read this verse during Quiet Time this morning. And that is why I began thinking about the question that I posed above. What is it that I treasure and value in my life? To really go to the heart of this verse, we need to look at what Jesus said BEFORE this verse…
Verse 19 - 21 : “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Ultimately, God is talking about ‘money’ (verse 24)…wealth of this world. No matter how much wealth we have or make, it cannot save lives. It can aid the process to meet needs, but it is the gospel that brings salvation and we can’t stop sharing that. So the LIVES are what moth and rust CANNOT destroy. It is something that is eternal when a person comes to Christ…it is a priceless thing to witness and celebrate! And to add to this, read The Values of Christ from the RBC website. It’s a good article on this topic of “our heart being where our treasureis…”
As we ponder all these and ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and wisdom to make right choices and decisions in our life, we can’t help but also be encouraged as well to know that God works through with us our decisions…even when we make mistakes. It’s not the end of the world, because we have God, who HOLDS THE WORLD IN HIS HANDS, beside us to help us work through it. Sometimes, the ‘mistaken’ decision may not even be a mistaken decision but one that God had allowed and foreknew. And He WILL bring us all the way to His planned path if we will submit our hearts to follow Him…seek Him and to be conscious of living a life that pleases God; And you won’t go far from where He wants you to be.
Finally, also be assured that as we serve Him and love His people…No matter how much you think you are giving up, you WILL NOT be shortchanged. In this life, God will teach us to live with little and love much! Because the life that will come that God wants us to focus on…We “press on” towards the prize that is Heavenwards…not world-wards. Matthew 6 also goes on to say that God knows what we need - clothes, food and even leisure. He will provide ALL that. As you seek first His Kingdom, all these things will be given you…And God knows what you need BEST! Even the perfect life partner…right, Chin??! 
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January 1st, 2009 at 12:43 pm
johnny
h0G0Oj Thanks for good post